


your eyes, they tell a story

by addove



Series: Linked Universe (AU) [10]
Category: Linked Universe (AU), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Light Angst, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Linked Universe AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-06 21:52:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19071403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addove/pseuds/addove
Summary: "Zelda!" He yelled again, spinning in a circle and digging his heels into the dirt. He reached for his sword, its grip steady in his hands. It chirped back nonsense in response, as it always had.dinF ryuo stpa leevss.Nonsense.





	your eyes, they tell a story

**Author's Note:**

> an alternate way of Wild meeting the rest of the Links™.

"Say cheese!" Zelda said, lifting the Sheikah Slate up to her face and snapping a photo, just as Link looked up from his cooking pot. It had been sudden, surely, but as were all of her pictures. She always caught him by surprise, in moments he never expected. The gallery was filled with pictures of the two of them, of just him and just her, of people they meet along on their adventures, of friends and family. In his home, the walls were lined in the pictures she chose to get Purah to print out.

She made his house feel like a home.

"Keeper?" Zelda asked, turning the screen back to him. Link looked at himself. He was smiling to himself, spoon in his hand as he mixed the ingredients in the pot. He held back a cringe, avoiding the nerves that lit up at the sight of himself in a picture. They weren't as strong as they had used to be, now being familiar with Zelda's random photo shoots, but he still wasn't sure whether or not he liked it.

"Sure." Link laughed, turning back to dinner and brushing off any uncomfortable feeling within him.

Accepting the Sheikah Slate as she handed it back to him, he glanced up back at her. She sat down on one of the stools, watching the group of birds from afar.

It was quiet for a few minutes, filled with only the sound of the birds singing and the breeze moving and the quiet humming of a lullaby coming from Link as he cooked.

When dinner was finished and Link sat next to Zelda, handing her a bowl of her own, he noticed how the world became silent. It was unusual. No birds sang, there was no breeze over the hills and through the fields. No pitter-patter of feet as animals ran, not even his breathing seemed to make a sound. It was as if everything became still, silent.

If he were to look back at this later, Link would remind himself of how silence in the wild never meant anything good.

"Hey, do you want anymore?" Link asked, turning to face Zelda. She sat with a bent posture, readying to poke at her food, but she was still, as if frozen. "Zelda?"

He waved a hand in front of her face, poking her nose. She remained still. Link stood up, looking as closely as he could. Her chest didn't even rise and fall with the intake and exhale of air. He spun around, noting how the grass didn't move unless he took a step forward, that the trees didn't move and the birds in the sky were frozen as well.

When he turned around again, everything was gone.

The cooking pot's fire died. The seats in front of Link seemed to disappear, all of his laid out gear now gone. Where Zelda once sat, all that stood was an empty space.

Time seemed to begin once again. Bird's sang, the wind pushed at his skin. In the sky, clouds moved and butterflies flew above him. Everything was unfrozen, yet Link was left to stand still and… more lost than he had been in months.

"Zelda?" Link called out, stumbling back a few steps. "Where'd you go?"

Not an answer.

"Zelda!" He yelled again, spinning in a circle and digging his heels into the dirt. He reached for his sword, its grip steady in his hands. It chirped back nonsense in response, as it always had.

_dinF ryuo stpa leevss._

Nonsense.

He spun around in another circle, taking in the scenery around him. This place was new, different. He had traveled around the entirety of Hyrule during his adventures, not a single spot had remained hidden for him. Yet, as Link looked around, nothing seemed familiar. The rolling hills of green grass lay barren without a single ruin to disrupt their peace. No travelers walked through searching for treasure, their bodies heavily armed to protect themselves from the monsters that hid beyond the grass. And… another thing…

Not a single monster in sight.

No wild horses, no small campfires. Nothing familiar, nothing he usually saw when walking through the fields of his home. He didn't see any familiar faces, not even a flower to tell him where he was. All Link saw was an empty field, mountains ranging in the distance, a forest towards the opposite side of the small castle town he spotted, and… a small house on a plateau, the chimney smoke rising high into the sky.

_What do you do when you don't know where you are?_ Link asked himself, before nearly smacking his forehead. _Look at a map, dumbass._

He unhooked the Sheikah Slate from his belt, holding it in his hands… to see static ringing back at him, words glitching on the screen. The only thing he could make out was _"Out… rnAge-- shr-e. Un-ist-red… time."_

The ever-rising feeling of panic was the only thing familiar to him.

Link remembered what it was like to be in a place he didn't know of. Unfamiliar with the land, not a single place registering in his mind as something he has seen before. Everything being different, everything being new.

In the back of his mind, all he could see was himself stepping out of the cave and into a new world.

Although it was tempting, Link didn't call out for Zelda's name again. He slid the Sheikah Slate back onto his belt and raised his head, looking forward. If he was in a different place, a new world… there was a chance she wasn't here with him. Instead, he opted to take a small step forward, and then another, and another. He let his feet guide him, the static panic in his chest taking its time to stop and freeze. Link swallowed his fear, turned away from the memories, and shut the door on any panic that tried to follow him to wherever he was going. This wasn't the time, nor the place, to back out and hide in a corner. This wasn't the place he was to break in.

Over time, as he walked through the grass and found his way onto a steady dirt path, Link found himself walking towards the town. It was small, with large doors and walls guarding it from the outside, but even for its size, there was something lively about it. Link could hear the chatter from outside, the music from afar. It was crowded, he could already tell, and it unsettled him, but he walked on anyway.

But when he stepped inside he was… much less prepared for something of this size.

People ran back and forth throughout the street, shouting as they waved small bags above their heads and stopping at crowded vending tables as they shoved their way through the front. Kids chased each other around the square, a lone Cucco following them and running away when the children decided to chase it. A couple stood dancing by the large fountain in the center of town, moving along to the music three people played nearby. A flute, drums, and a guitar. They looked vaguely of Zora, but their posture was all wrong, and they didn't look anything like the Zora down in Zora's Domain.

Link stood blinking in the street that opened up to the town square, nothing but silence in his head, mouth slightly open ajar. He stood frozen for a second, never having seen so many people in one place before, never having seen so many people so _lively_ in one place before. Distantly he remembered something, perhaps a memory from before he died, but it was all fuzzy, and the only thing he could properly remember clearly was the laugh of a child as he ran through a blurry memory.

Somebody pushed past him, elbow shoved into his chest as they yelled, "Out of the way, kid!" Link stumbled, eyes wide and fingers resting on the hilt of his sword. After a moment, when he realized there had been no ill intention (well… nothing murderous), he let his hand fall back to his side.

Taking a deep breath, he took a few steps forward, shrinking into himself as the crowds got thicker. At the unkind and strange looks he got as he kept walking, Link pulled his hood up, tightening it around his face. No matter where he was, people always looked at him the same.

Only for a second, he looked away, and the next Link was barreling into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I didn't see you-"

"No, no, you're fine, lad." The old man said, shaking his head slightly. Link apologized again and, for a second, he actually thought about what he should say.

"Uh… actually, sir, can you give me an idea of where I am?" Link asked.

The old man raised an eyebrow, looking around. He nodded his head towards the town square as if it should be obvious as to where they are.

"You're in Castle Town. Why, you lost?"

Link nodded. "A little."

The old man hummed, getting lost in thought for a moment. Link stood their awkwardly, waiting for his response. He rubbed his arm, trying to forget his anxiety while it stabbed at his chest.

"Ah, well, I'm not very good with directions, but… there should be a ranch just south-west of here. An old friend of the princess' lives there, n he's been all over the place. I bet he could give you proper directions."

* * *

 

The ranch was huge, standing tall on the plateau in the middle of the field. Smoke continued to rise from the chimney, even after the hours he spent going to and from the castle town. The path lead him straight to the ranch, and, even as he got closer and closer to the house door, Link couldn't help but let his nerves rise.

The house looked worn, as if it had been standing for years. Based upon the aged sign afar, Link guessed it just might be an old ranch. Hopefully… whoever was inside could truly help him get home. Surely Link had just been teleported somewhere else, right?

In front of him, the door to the ranch house stood tall. Even from outside, Link could hear the people inside. There was a lot of chatter, as if there were more than two people inside. There was laughter, loud, and if Link listened close enough, he could hear people arguing playfully. Their words were lost to him, but he wasn't interested in snooping anyway. He just wanted to get home. There were people waiting for him, after all.

Link took a breath, readying to knock on the door. He froze just before his knuckles collided with the wood, eyes staring in front of him while his mind replayed this exact scene a million times. The rain soaked into his clothes, door in front of him, memory only full of the things he had done in the last few months alone on the plateau. Impa's house stood in front of him, and an unknown fear ate away at his entire being.

His fist hit the door, and he waited.

The chatter inside seemed to die down, quiet whispers moving through the air. Link's hearing was good, but he couldn't pick up anything that had been said. Instead, he heard a couple of pairs of footsteps move towards the door just as the handle twisted and it swung open. Out of habit, Link turned his body to hide his scars, hood tightening around his head and hair hiding half of his face.

From inside, two people stood in front of him. One of them was a woman, her red hair matching the brightness of her cheeks. Beside her, with an arm wrapped around her waist, a man with blond hair and strange facial markings stared at him with a smile that said _welcome_ , but eyes that said _suspicion_. Link couldn't place why he looked familiar, but there was something about him that made the back of his mind itch. Specifically the markings on his face.

The woman looked at Link with a sweet smile and clasped her hands together. "Welcome to Lon Lon Ranch! I'm the owner here, Malon, and this is my husband. Are you here to purchase some milk, dear?"

Link blinked. "Uh…"

Malon's husband raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, no, I just need directions."

"Sure, kid. Where're you headed?" Malon's husband asked. His voice was familiar, too.

And that's when it occurred to him that… Link hadn't thought this far. He didn't even know where Lon Lon Ranch was. What country was he in? Was he in the same world as he was a few hours ago? Was this all an estranged dream?

He didn't know, and it enraged him more than the time he was on that island behind Korok Forest.

"Uh, actually," Link said, sharing a glance with the husband, "can you tell me where I am?"

"You're in Lon Lo--"

"No, I know, I meant… where is here? I have no idea where I am." Link interrupted, gesturing to beyond the ranch. The husband crossed his arms, not removing his gaze off of Link's. Again, he tightened his hood around his face and continued to hide behind his hair. The nerves were beginning to get to him.

Malon only blinked, before nodding, worry painted into her features. "You're in Hyrule, dear. Are… are you alright? Do you need a place to stay?"

Hyrule. He was in Hyrule, but… it wasn't his Hyrule. Not nearly close enough to ruin, and definitely not from the 100 years before, if his memory served him right (and while he didn't have much of it, it usually did).

Link thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I just want to find a way to get back home."

Something in both of their features seemed to relax. Malon looked like a worried mother, itching to grab Link and pull him inside. Her husband, on the other hand, looked like he knew exactly what Link was talking about. His eyes told the story of the same lost boy, the same boy looking for his home.

"Alright, well, why don't you step inside, sugar cube. My husband's been all over, I'm sure he can give you directions while I get some tea."

"Wait, no, it's alright, I really don't want to impose!" Link said quickly, but Malon was already pulling him inside, her movements quick as her husband stepped to the side with a chuckle. She smiled back at Link, shaking her head.

"Nonsense! Everyone's welcome here at Lon Lon Ranch!"

For some reason… her husband stepped away and left the door open.

Maybe Link had a similar story in his eyes.

Inside the small ranch house, there were… more people. As in, a lot more people. There were seven others, all similar in looks but varying in the same aspects. One with blond hair more golden than Link's own, blue scarf flowing down to the floor. Another next to him, eyeing Link from afar, his pink streak of hair not matching the obvious suspicion in his eyes. Another two next to him, quietly talking under their breath. One was short with a pair of mixed match clothes, the other with messy hair and blue tunic stretching to his ankles. One with messy brown hair, hiding his laughter from whatever one of the other two had said. The man with the long white cloak had a far off look in his eyes, staring at nothing, but seeming to listen to everything in the room, as his ear twitched at the slightest sounds. The last one, with the fur coat and the face markings… there was something familiar about him.

Clearly, there was something familiar about Link, too, because he never looked away, something short of recognition in his eyes.

"Uh…" Link began, taking the warm cup of tea Malon offered. "Thank you, ma'am."

She waved a hand as if there was nothing to it, pouring a cup for the others in the room as well as herself.

After a moment of awkward silence while Malon danced across the room, she sat down across from him at the kitchen table. Her husband stood behind her, leaning against a wall. The group in the living area seemed to pretend they weren't listening, making empty comments here and there, but Link knew they were paying close attention, as their eyes never left him and they reacted to every one of his sudden movements. Well, a few of them did. The two kids, the white-cloak guy, and the brown-haired guy seemed to be significantly less restless as the other three. Four, if you counted Malon's husband.

"So…" She said, giving Link another smile. "Can you tell us where you're from? Maybe we can help you with that."

Link took a sip of the tea to help hydrate his unusually dry throat. It… was actually really good. It had just enough sugar, and there was just a hint of honey and…

"Wildberry?" Link asked, staring down at his cup.

Malon's husband smiled and finally decided to speak up once more. "Sorry if you're not a fan. It's our signature favorite."

"No, no, it's…" Link laughed a little, relaxing slightly. "It's my favorite, too."

There was a cough from the living area from the guy with the pink hair. The man with the fur coat seemed to raise an eyebrow, confusion etching his features.

"Ah, sorry. Uh, your question… um, I live in a place called Hateno? It's in-between a few mountains, just in front of a beach?" Link said, unsure of what to say next. Malon looked up to her husband hopefully, her shoulders sagging when he shrugged.

"Never heard of it, kid. Where's it near?"

He hadn't thought this through, clearly.

Every instinct was telling Link to get out, to find out how to get home on his own. He's been gone for a few hours now, surely Zelda was worrying, surely Riju noticed that he was late for their meeting today. Maybe stable owners noticed it was just Zelda this time, or maybe she had already gone to Impa to find help. Link didn't know how to explain to these nice ranch owners that he was from Hyrule, that Hateno is in Hyrule, and that he's probably dreaming. He's probably just…

"-lright?" Malon asked, her voice seeming to come back from the silent void Link had just been stuck in. He must've spaced out, which… explained why Malon's husband had a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I must've spaced out…" he hadn't thought about it at the time, and he should have paid more attention to where he was, but he didn't. Memory still hazy from getting lost in his mind again, Link momentarily forgot where he was and moved his hair out of his face.

There was a wide range of gasps throughout the room, eyes on him.

The last time this happened, he was in a place where everybody knew already. They knew of his sacrifice, of what happened. They had seen it himself, had watched him fall. They had put him to sleep themselves, they saw his wounds. When they had seen his scars, they didn't look at him like he was a monster, like he was… something else entirely. They only looked at him with loss, remembering all it took to get to that fateful day. They didn't talk about it, never stared, but that didn't mean Link didn't know what they were thinking.

It honest to Hylia, at that moment, felt like his heart had stopped.

"Honey, what happened to you?" Malon asked, leaning forward just a bit. Link moved back, watching the gazes of everyone around the room. He shrugged off her husband's hand, pulling his hood tighter around his face.

From the other side of the house, the man in the fur coat only stared. Sure, it was just like the rest of them, but his eyes… they told a different story. Familiarity, recognition. A silent gasp and a few unsure steps forward. Pink-hair raised an eyebrow at him, and the man with the mismatched clothing called out a… strange name.

He walked forward, pulling Malon's husband towards him just a bit. The husband's eyes glanced quickly from the wall to Link every now and then as the man with the fur coat whispered furiously in his ear. After a second of panic coming from Link and confused silence all around, the husband calmly turned to Link.

"What's your name, kid?"

He swallowed. Nayru… were they Yiga? No, no they couldn't be. The Yiga knew about Link's scars. They knew his tunic, his cloak, everything about him. These people were honest, they had no ill intent (spare pink-hair, of course). Maybe they've heard of him, heard the legend's and the tales and the stories.

It wouldn't hurt to tell them.

"Link. My name is Link." _The hero of Hyrule, as they said._

The room was silent for only a second, and then there was more than just one person talking. It was as if everybody in the house had just then found their voice, mixes of rage and laughter and wonder and sadness and calmness and everything in between filling the cracks and leaving no place in the whole ranch silent.

"Of course it is, just look at him!"

"So there's another one, then?"

"I thought so! She's been silent ever since he arrived!"

"Of course he's with you barbarians, look at his hair."

"Warriors, you're apart of this group, too."

"Not for much longer, honestly!"

Link shrank at all the sound that filled the room, feeling like he was back at the castle town. Malon only looked back at her husband and fur-coat guy for a moment and shared a moment. Their silence spoke volumes, words and words and words flying through the air between them, only their eyes spoke for them and their mouths kept shut. Suddenly, Malon glanced his way and noticed Link's panic, then turning to the group in the back and whistled. Loudly. Nearly as loud as Link, in fact.

They settled down, seeming to shrink under her burning gaze. Though she smiled brightly, her eyes were laced with fire. It was a look that said _'Settle down immediately, or I'll take away your dessert.'_

There was a chirp from Link, and he heard his sword light up. It was a quiet shimmer, the same noise it always made when Guardians were nearby. But… only when they were nearby.

Link stilled, ears straining to hear the noise of the gears riling up and metal moving and the beam of fire that could potentially be coming their way. But… there was nothing. No red light, no fire, no mechanical legs moving through ruins. It was a strange occurrence, and Link couldn't figure out…

He unsheathed the Sword that Seals the Darkness and held it in front of him, listening to the spirit whisper into his ear and watching it glow, even in the light of the room.

_sisoinM mpetleco. roHsee ufodn._

The room was silent again, but only for a moment.

"Fi." Someone said. Link looked up, watching the guy in the white cloak take a few steps closer, unsheathing the sword on his back. "She spoke to you."

The sword in his hand… was nearly identical to Links. It was the Master Sword, anyone could tell, but… it wasn't the same one. Not really, it looked slightly different. But in the same radiance, it glowed, and the guy seemed to stare at it as if listening to what it had to say.

"'She?'" Link asked.

"The spirit inside the sword. You can hear her, can't you?" He asked.

Link hesitated, nodding after a second.

He nodded, a bright smile on his face. "My name's Sky. Nice to meet you."

The sword chirped again, but it wasn't any words. It was a sound of fondness, recognition. Familiarity. Had… had he wielded the sword, once?

_esY._

The husband straightened his posture and took a step forward towards Link. It took everything he had not to take a step back. With the sword in his hands… it was as if all of his instincts were on overdrive. He had the urge to have it stand in front of him, but Link knew these people meant no harm. It seemed that way, anyway.

"I guess explanations are needed. But first…" he walked towards the group and stood in front of everyone, pointing off each person one by one. "I'm Time. Warriors, Legend, Four, Wind, Hyrule, and… you've met Sky and Twilight already."

Twilight?

When they shared a look, Twilight seemed to mouth _"I'll tell you later."_

Then… Time began to talk. And talk. And talk. He aid explanations were in order, and yes, he was correct, except… that none of what he said explained anything to Link.

From what Link could understand and narrow down into something simpler, each of the men in the room was also named _Link_. They were all heroes from different points in history, different timelines that had been made after the Hero of Time (…the nickname _Time_ made a lot of sense now) had split up the timeline during his adventure. The Goddess had summoned them together for some reason… that they didn't know of yet.

"So you're telling me…" Link began, turning on his heel and walking up and down the room. "That the Goddess fucks me over a billion times and then asks for my help again?"

"Yep." Legend said.

"No. Nuh-uh. I'm not doing this, and I'm going home." Link said, putting his hood over his head and turning to thank Malon as he walked towards the door.

"Wait! You can't just leave!" Wind called out, standing up to follow, but stopping when Twilight walked forward to stop in front of him.

"Listen, Link, there's… no way to go home yet. Trust me, we've tried. If you want to wander the world, go ahead, we won’t stop you, but… you won't get home at that rate. Nobody will."

Link scoffed, moving back when he tried to place a hand on his shoulder. Looking back at the rest of the group, Link took a moment to think about this… entire mess.

There was no way to get home. For however long he was stuck in this world, he was missing in his own. Whether or not he was actually needed would come to show, but for now… it didn't seem like he was. Link, out of eight other people, was probably the worst choice for the job. After all, he _had_ failed to save his own Hyrule. But… if he can’t go home… it doesn't hurt to stay for a while. Not that he wanted to.

"Fine. I'll stay."

The room seemed to relax.

"What should we call you, then?" Hyrule asked, a curious smile on his face.

This… would be his name for the time being. However long that was. It would be his new name, essentially. His new identity. But… for some reason, Link already knew what it was to be. He hadn't spared a second to think about it, not a minute to truly decide. It was as if he was supposed to say it, as if it was sort of… programmed into his brain.

At the same time Link spoke, a feminine voice rang from the sword on his back, clear and steady. "Wild."

The voice spoke again.

_Nice to formally meet you, Hero of Wilds._


End file.
